DMA Option 2 Thesis and Option 3 Scholarly Essay DEPOSIT COVERSHEET University of Illinois Music and Performing Arts Library
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DMA Option 2 Thesis and Option 3 Scholarly Essay DEPOSIT COVERSHEET University of Illinois Music and Performing Arts Library Date: DMA Option (circle): 2 [thesis] or 3 [scholarly essay] Your full name: Full title of Thesis or Essay: Keywords (4-8 recommended) Please supply a minimum of 4 keywords. Keywords are broad terms that relate to your thesis and allow readers to find your work through search engines. When choosing keywords consider: composer names, performers, composition names, instruments, era of study (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, etc.), theory, analysis. You can use important words from the title of your paper or abstract, but use additional terms as needed. 1. _________________________________ 2. _________________________________ 3. _________________________________ 4. _________________________________ 5. _________________________________ 6. _________________________________ 7. _________________________________ 8. _________________________________ If you need help constructing your keywords, please contact Dr. Bashford, Director of Graduate Studies. Information about your advisors, department, and your abstract will be taken from the thesis/essay and the departmental coversheet. THE GUITAR STYLE OF TONINHO HORTA IN SELECTED RECORDINGS, 1988-1992 BY JOSE EMILIO GOBBO JUNIOR SCHOLARLY ESSAY Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Music with a concentration in Jazz Performance in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2020 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Lawrence Gray, Chair and Research Director Associate Professor Michael Silvers Assistant Professor Joel Spencer Professor John “Chip” Stephens Abstract This study investigates the musical elements that define the style of guitarist Toninho Horta, focusing on his harmonic conception. My methodology consisted of transcriptions and analyses of recordings from three albums: Diamond Land (1988), Moonstone (1989) and Once I Loved (1992). Horta uses unorthodox chord extensions and voicings, along with inventive voice leading choices for common progressions, characterizing a sophisticated harmonic conception. Observations about his rhythmic approach to Bossa Nova and interpretative techniques are also featured, providing a full picture of his style. ii Table of Contents - Chapter 1: Biography of Toninho Horta…………………………………………………………1 Chapter 2: Background…………………………………………………………………………...6 Chapter 3: Purpose of Study……………………………………………………………………...8 Chapter 4: Album Diamond Land (1988).……………………………………………………......11 Chapter 5: Album Moonstone (1989).……………………………………………………………18 Chapter 6: Album Once I Loved (1992)......………………………………………………………34 Chapter 7: Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………45 Bibliography……………………………….…………………………………………………….47 Appendix A: Interview…...……………………………………………………………………....51 Appendix B: Transcriptions……………………………………………………………………...63 iii Chapter 1: Biography of Toninho Horta Antonio Mauricio Horta de Melo, or simply Toninho Horta, was born in December 2nd 1948. His passion for music, which bloomed early in his childhood, was far from an isolate matter. His grandfather, João Horta, composed religious music and traveled around the countryside of Minas Gerais, the biggest Brazilian Southeast state, as an employee of a railroad construction.1 His mother, Geralda, was an amateur musician who played the mandolin, and encouraged music appreciation at home. But perhaps Toninho’s biggest musical influence came from his older brother, Paulo Horta, a professional bassist who also played guitar. Paulo was his first guitar teacher, in a sense, and was also helpful in introducing him to the circuit of working musicians in Belo Horizonte, the state’s capital city. Surrounded by so much music in his formative years, it would be natural for Toninho Horta to consider a career in that specific métier. He was hired by his brother for professional gigs at an early age. At first he only played acoustic guitar, but later expanded his horizons by adding the electric guitar to his palette. Such a commitment to music as a profession was set by his late teens. Horta often mentions guitarist Chiquito Braga as an influence in his formative years, and they did make a guitar trio record much later, in 2000, joined by their disciple Juarez Moreira. The year of 1966 marks Horta’s studio debut in the recording of Andre Magalhães’ Historias Infantis, but the first key career opportunity came next year at the II Festival Internacional da Canção (International Song Festival) in Rio de Janeiro. In that festival, his friend 1 Campos, Maria Tereza Arruda. Toninho Horta: Harmonia Compartilhada. São Paulo, SP, Brasil: Imprensa Oficial, 2010; 15. 1 and life-long musical collaborator Milton Nascimento made a huge impact with his song “Travessia.” Although Toninho did not qualify his own songs to the final stage of the festival, his appearance at that particular event opened doors to many collaborations with major artists, including Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Vinícius de Moraes, Jards Macalé, Luiz Melodia, Edu Lobo, and Dori Caymmi. Toninho’s home, back in Belo Horizonte, had a descent musical scene, but not at the same scale as the effervescent Rio de Janeiro, which was Brazil’s cultural capital. After moving to Rio, Horta became a highly sought-after guitarist and composer, especially by singers who admired his supportive yet personal style. His first experience in a Rio recording studio was with Joyce Moreno, who was also the first singer to record one of his compositions, “Litoral.” Other artists soon started to take notice of Toninho’s songs, including the vocal group MPB4, Alaíde Costa, Nana Caymmi, Leny Andrade, and Marilton Borges. Many of his most important collaborations were with a group of musicians known as Clube da Esquina2 (Corner’s Club, in loose translation). Milton Nascimento is its most acclaimed figure because of his international status in world music. Along with friends from Rio de Janeiro, this group of mineiros (people coming from Minas Gerais) created a unique sound, which reflected the atmosphere of a cosmopolitan city in the early 1970s. Clube da Esquina includes pianist/organist Wagner Tiso, percussionist Robertinho Silva, bassist Noveli, guitarist/vocalist Lô Borges, lyricists Fernando Brandt, Ronaldo Bôscoli and Marcio Borges, among others. Their most emblematic project was the album Clube da Esquina, from 1972, which broke new territory in the Brazilian music industry. It was a double album which also included detailed personnel information and its cover art was a simple photographic portrait of two children seated on the side of a dirt road. Pianist 2 McGowan, Chris, and Ricardo Pessanha. The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil. New York, NY. Watson and Guptill, 1991; 105. 2 Lyle Mays described their music as “… an amazing, unpredictable combination of cultural influences of the Western Classical harmonic sense and the African rhythmic sense, done in a completely different way from jazz… The Clube da Esquina records have things in common with the Beatles and Miles Davis, a combination of hipness, accessibility, and exoticness.”3 In 1973, Toninho co-lead an album with Beto Guedes, Danilo Caymmi and Novelli, but his first album solely as a leader came six years later, in 1979, titled Terra dos Pássaros. This album has an interesting history that captures the spirit of brotherhood among Clube da Esquina members. Milton Nascimento was recording his album Milton in 1976 at a famous studio in Malibu, CA, with a large budget. Since the recording was finished earlier than expected, Milton donated the remaining studio time and tapes to Toninho, encouraging him to record his own material. Most of the Terra dos Pássaros album was tracked then, however financial issues delayed the completion and release of the project until 1979. Another important fact regarding this album is that, due to the lack of an interested company, it was one of the first independent productions ever made in Brazil. The self-titled album Toninho Horta, his second as a leader, was released soon thereafter, in 1980. All through the 1970’s Horta was involved in some of Milton Nascimento’s most important musical projects, such as the show Milagre dos Peixes, and the albums Minas (1975) and Geraes (1976).4 Throughout the year of 1970, he accompanied one of the most prominent Brazilian singers of all times, Elis Regina, and appears on her album Ela. His first international tour came in 1973 with Gal Costa, another important Brazilian singer. A sign of his international recognition can be 3 Cooke, Mervyn. Pat Metheny The ECM Years, 1975-1984. Oxford University Press, 2017; 167. 4 Campos, Harmonia Compartilhada; 68. 3 seen in his position in Melody Maker magazine polls from 1977-8, where he placed 5th and 7th, respectively. After establishing a solid reputation as a sideman and releasing two albums as a leader in the first decade of his career, Toninho Horta migrated to the United States in 1983 to study arranging at the Julliard School of Music. Since he had not studied the subject formally, his entrance exams only allowed him to take very basic courses. By his own account, he had already mastered most of the content of the courses but appreciated the situation as an opportunity to learn English.5 His stay in the US only lasted six months, which was enough for him to make connections and participate in several performances. One of those led him to be named an honorary